Posts tagged ‘snopes’

It’s been three years since someone issued a hoax e-mail that claimed to be an AP article breaking the “news” that Barack Obama had been exposed as a secret foreigner whose name was really “Barry Soetoro”:

“AP – WASHINGTON D.C. –
In a move certain to fuel the debate over Obama’s qualifications for the presidency, the group “Americans for Freedom of Information” has Released copies of President Obama’s college transcripts from Occidental College … Released today, the transcript school indicates that Obama, under the name Barry Soetoro, received financial aid as a foreign student from Indonesia as an undergraduate. The transcript was released by Occidental College in compliance with a court order in a suit brought by the group in the Superior Court of California. The transcript shows that Obama (Soetoro) applied for financial aid and was awarded a fellowship for foreign students from the Fulbright Foundation Scholarship program. To qualify, for the scholarship, a student must claim foreign citizenship.”

Just as quickly as the e-mail started making the rounds, it was quickly and repeatedly debunked. There is no such article in the AP archives, and there is no released Occidental transcript. They can’t be documented, meaning that there is no support for the claims of the hoax “article.”

But that isn’t stopping the adherents to the Obama birth certificate conspiracy theory. Despite clear and readily available documentation that this message is a hoax (and a three year old one at that) people continue to spread it as if it were real, still-“breaking” news.

It’s been nearly two months since the hoax posting at Miami County Liberty, and nobody’s bothered to check facts on the story. It’s just another “fact” being added to the pile of documents which together in their sheer volume are being counted as proof of a problem that does not exist.

It’s been nearly two years since a hoax purporting to be an Associated Press article “revealed” that Barack Obama registered at Occidental College as Indonesian citizen “Barry Soetoro.” It’s been nearly as long since the hoax was exposed as an utter fake.

But today right-wing conspiracy theorist Tony Caputo sent along the text of the hoax as an e-mail to me, with the preface “APPEARS TO BE THE PROOF, AT LAST. FROM SNOPES.COM. SNOPES SAY’S IT’S TRUE.”

But wait, there’s more! Mr. Wilson earns our special Certificate of Unmitigated Gall for adding the following prelude to the top of the canned cut-and-paste hoax job:

This information from Occidental College was released TODAY, May 4, 2010. I checked with Snopes and it IS true. He got financial aid as a foreign student. The request for his transcript was released in compliance with an order from the Superior Court of the State of California.

You know that’s not true, right? A simple actual check of Snopes will show the opposite to be the case. But this message isn’t meant for people like you and me who actually check facts, require evidence and live in the Reality-Based Community. The message is meant for chumps.

Present ARMS! All SALUTE! Paul Wilson, Chump of the Day, with CERTIFICATE!

A Clue for the Literal-Minded

Read these tiny words very closely: the group Americans for Freedom of Information does not exist, just like the supposed "AP article" you keep cutting and pasting into e-mails to your irritated family does not exist, just like the "Daily Mail article" referenced in the fake "AP article" does not exist. They're all fabrications. Fakes. Hoaxes.
Ask yourself why you're so eager to believe these obvious fakes. No, really. Really, really ask yourself.

A Clue for Those Especially Allergic to Satire

No, we didn't create the hoax, either. Remember, we at Americans for Freedom of Information don't exist!

No One knows who did create the hoax. Unfortunately, we don't know No One or where he lives, so we can't ask No One about it. We do know her sister, Imnot Telling, but ever since the thing in the place with that other thing, we're not on speaking terms.